Reviews by Molson2000:

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750ml corked bottle....poured a golden amber, enormous white frothy head, lots of lacing, semi cloudy....big malty nose, hints of fruits and lots of spice, champagne yeast....taste was big and malty, sweetness creeps in mid-sip, some bready & biscuity notes, spice pokes its head out towards the finish....a lovely lingering mild-sweetness that fades ever so slowly to a drying finish....mouthfeel was big and lively, fresh and crisp, turns to a slight cream finish...lovely beer and great drinkability, high alcohol makes it a slow sipper but the quality is there and its very good...i thought it was a great beer

A: Golden yellow with a big white head that stays around for quite a while.

S: Wheat, malts, some hay, yeast, spices, bubblegum. Some alcohol. Not a very powerful smell.

T: Sweet malts, some caramel, spices, perhaps some honey, faint grassy hops, plenty of yeast and a sweet taste of bubblegum. The finish is quite short with a minimal bitterness to it, faint mineral notes and some hops. Not very powerful. Interesting rather than good. The sweetish alcohol is very noticeable.

M: Medium body, plenty of carbonation. The texture is quite sticky which becomes irritating after a while.

D: At some levels, this one's rather interesting, but it doesn't taste that great. The sweet candy-like taste of bubblegum I noticed and the rather prominent note of alcohol became disturbing after a while.

Bottled in 2000  drank in 2004  The bottle opened with a big swish and poured a light brownish beer with a huge bubbly head with excellent retention. Aroma of alcohol with a mix of spice. Carbonation is perfect with lots of bubbles coming back on top of my glass. Taste is a mix between a strong Belgian ale with a mix of a good well aged port. The alcohol is mostly sensible in the aroma but undetectable form the taste. Overall, this is a beer that aged well and is true to the name bière de garde.

A translucent light brown/amber ale drains from the 75cl bottle into a burgundy glass, splashing around creating an off-white blanket of foam. I get heavy curtains rotating the glass around a bit.

S The smell is of Belgian Ale no doubt , the classic characteristics of yeast, burnt sugar and hint of dark fruits. Gradually a marzipan undertone surface…

T One hell of a savory ale this one, it doesn’t wear off at all, no matter how many mouthfuls I have. Plenty of marzipan again, dotting along the line is pears, perhaps more like calvados, it’s all sweet and some malts. Although a raging 10% ABV this only adds to the flavor rather than drawing attention away from it.

M Mid to full body, an abundance of beautiful and stringy bubbles. The carbonation stays alive through out the drinking experience, which is fantastic.

True and solid craftsmanship at its best. This 2011 version of the brew was chiselled from one good old block of Belgian brewing history and tradition. All things in balance, the only thing that perhaps draws down the rating on this ale is the lack of innovation.

Bottle-Pours dark and hazy orange, with a frothy and long lived foamy beige cap. Nose is funky with spices,yeast, barnyard, some orange and grapefruit. Really inviting. Tastes sweet, of spices and malty orange peel, a bit metallic, anise. Sharp and hoppy finish, while creamy at the same time. Good.

A - Pours with a lot of loose, big-bubbled head, which quickly disappears. It has a nice orange colour, but it looks rather clear and filtered for a beer on lees.

S - At first it is sharply metallic and very bitter. The hops is prominent and this beers wears its floral hops as it main attack. The taste of alcohol is apparent but seems a part of the taste and not at all overwhelming. There is the slight sourness typical of flanders yeasts. This beer is better once you get to the bottom and the beer begins to warm and the yeast pours into the glass. The finish is very quick and refreshing.

M - Light and zingy on the palate, leaving a crisp dry finish which is particularly refreshing.

D - It's high alcohol content make it a little low in sessionability. It does a very good job of covering it up, and its crisp refreshing hoppiness make it easy to drink for its high percentage.

I thought this beer was rather straightforward in its flavours and not what I expected from a Biere de Garde. It lacked the musty-basement-storage taste that it perhaps ought to have. It had a few subtle tastes, but relied on its hops almost entirely to deliver the flavour. Very tasty, but perhaps more reminiscent of a tripel-style beer than a Biere de Garde, due to its straightforwardness.

I picked up a bottle of the 2007 Bière Nouvelle which, at least traditionally, should be brewed on this year's first crop. Right from the start I have to say that the beer needs at least 20 minutes in the glass before it developes its full taste. Be patient! It poured spritzy and in a golden yellow colour, with at least three fingers of thick, creamy foam, and smelling of detergent and wet dishrags. At this point the taste was sweet, yeasty and alcoholic soap diluted in musty water. But after about 20 minutes, when the carbonation settled, the beer miracously took on a much fuller sweet, flowery taste, and with a nice bitter bite.

Perhaps the most perfect head I've seen for a non-nitro: Thick, creamy and rocky head, awesome sticky lace. It never completely died, remaining at least one-finger thick throughout the taste. The color is golden with a slight cloudiness.

Very true to the farm house ale aroma; some mustiness, mostly malty.

Fair more hoppy spiciness than the smell indicates. Strong alcohol warmth. Creamy and malty aftertaste. Flavorful. Decent body and very high carbonations.

T: Starts up with nice sugary malts: tons of honey and brown sugar. Some tart there too. Then it's all about fruits: bananas, dried fig, green apple, cranberries. Some spices there too: cloves, cinnamon and a bit of pepper. Very spiced/fruits bread kind of feel to the brew. Ends up nice and dry with some piny hops. The alcohol is there and warms a bit when it goes down. Complex, but it doesn't blew me away too.

M: Very average. Even there seems to be A TON of bubbles, it's not that bad. I find the brew a bit watery for a 8% brew, but it's not that bad too.

D: It's high. I could drink another of this. It's a very balanced brew, making it easy to drink. But since, it's a style that is normally easy to drink, I won't score much higher than a 3,5.

Had a bottle of this in spring of 2009. The colour was true gold with a thick ecru head. The aroma was sweet, citrusy and yeasty, in that order. On the palate, this was wonderful stuff from the start! There was plenty of citrus and stone fruits as well as a yeasty character and a clean, fresh finish.

Now I remember tasting the 2007 and 2008 editions of this Bière De Garde and being very pleased with it. Now to give another try with the 2009 edition of this late season brew. A. Well to tell the truth, in appearance, this beer looks great, a nice thick head of foam retention and a good stable carbonation degree.B. The smell is the weak part, I get light citrus fruit and some malt characteristic but nothing very overwhelming.C. The taste is very nice though, quite refreshing at first and still a fruity flavor and hop that developes in a sort of rusty metallic dry taste.All in all this is a good strong beer, but I would forget about it in the cellar for a year or so and let it rest on the lees for a while. I think it could help it a bit.

Cheers

WS

Alrighty, Same beer but this time I'm having a 2006, What year is this...2011 Awww Yeah !!! Five years for this Bière de Garde from France.

Served in a Riedel Ouverture glass, the beer is light orange and cloudy very nice head retentention for a 2006, looks almost new ! The foam just stays there for so long...pretty impressive.

Smells alot like Malt, honey, alot of yeast esters and a touch of alcohol. I would wonder if the 8 % ABV is still up to date on this one ?The foam is still very nice...

The mouthfeel is packed with carbonation and the attack is very fruity, orange peels and apricots. Theres a rich maltyness and a finish on the alcohol and a little metalic taste.Its a medium bodied beer.I guess I could of kept it for another year or two, just for fun because based on my previous 2009 review, the tasting is pretty much similar.Its a nice beer to paire with food and nice to keep in the cellar for a few years..its pretty cheap so do the experience for yourself.